Anemoia: Darker Shades of Black
by dreamingdarklyy
Summary: "That's Marlene McKinnon, she was killed two weeks after this was taken. Voldemort wiped out her entire family." Why black and white? Because color can be too demanding. The life and death of Marlene Mckinnon. Marauder's era, beginning in 1977. Adult themes.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing from JK Rowling's Potterverse.  
 **R &R: **The more you rate and review, the quicker I edit the later chapters.

 _Enjoy,_  
 _Dee._

* * *

It was the hottest day of summer. It was the end of summer; it was the end of a lot of things.

There was an air of silence in the old forest green ford consul. The car's engine clanked and rattled faithfully as the family of three rocked against its rough motion. The drive was nearly ten hours from Port Erin on the Isle of Man to London, the drive the blonde headed family had taken the day before still wore heavily against the father and his two children. Thick cigar smoke waved and swirled toward the open window while Alaric drove through the London streets, thoughtfully chewing on the end of his cigar, he occasionally tapped its edge to the window disposing of its large ashes. The middle aged man's eyes were covered with a pair of dark mirroring sunglasses, hiding his anticipation of having left his rural isle setting for the bustling old city of London. Alaric Mckinnon was the widowed father of two, a young man of nineteen and a daughter of seventeen. Today was the last day he would be sending a child off for their first day at Hogwarts Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was easy to blame his anxiety on the heavy traffic of old London, easier than the gut wrenching nostalgia that twisted deep in his belly realizing both of his children were rounding in on adulthood.

"The Ministry is at it again." Finn Mckinnon didn't look up from the paper he rustled about in the passenger seat of the clunking car. Alaric cleared his throat and gave a grunting response to his son while turning onto a road leading towards the infamous King's Cross Station. He didn't pretend to be uneducated in the world his two children and deceased wife had belonged to. In fact, had it not been for his family of in-laws, Alaric would have been another lost Muggle parent in the streets of Diagon Alley; trying to get into his wife's bank vault, figure out which stores to go into for his children's school supplies, and what in the world the significance of a Gryffindor was.

Finn glanced at his father and his mouth twisted into a tight line. He was excused from his auror training at the ill spoken of Ministry of Magic to accompany his father to see his younger sister off to her last year of Hogwarts. Their matching blue eyes locked in the side mirror of the car, before he cleared his own throat and rustled the paper. Finn knew all too well their father despised the idea of politics, namely given the looming promise of war which headlined the papers. Alaric didn't understand the Wizarding World, and even more so he didn't like the idea of his children belonging to a world plagued by dark times that he couldn't comprehend. Finn's brooding expression matched his father's, the two were nearly identical apart from Finn's sandy blond hair cropped at his shoulders. His tanned features were sculpted sharply and angled in ways that most of the opposite sex found desirable. Since his graduation the year before, his younger sister had looked forward to not being the pawn in every girl's plan to snag Finn Mckinnon's heart. He was tall, as his father, both sitting almost uncomfortably with their impressive height in the green ford.

"Last year, Marlene." Alaric finally glanced toward the rearview mirror at his daughter who sat with her feet out the window a book opened on her lap that held none of her attention as she stared upward in the back window at the towering buildings and pale blue cloudless sky through a pair of large sunglasses. The blonde teenage girl was a vision of her era, high waisted widely flared jeans and a form fitting red and white crop t-shirt that exposed a strip of skin. Her brown leather sandals were kicked off near the floor of the back seat. Marlene had spent the morning in front of the mirror willing her chaotic thick hair to be manageable before leaving the golden mane to win the battle. Strands of waved and unstyled hair were twisted into a thick braid which hung over her shoulder, stray locks slipping to frame her face. She was an attractive girl with a spark of femininity in her red painted toe nails, large and gawdy rings and bracelets and thick black lined eyeliner – but the rest of her belonged to the uncaring nature of a teenage girl who cared less about appearance and more about the world around her. She was a fickle creature, Marlene Mckinnon.

She didn't break her eye contact with the cloudless sky, nor did she share her thoughts and ponders toward her upcoming final year or of the atrocities of the rising war and rebellions. Marlene had settled on wanting to be a teenage girl for one more year, one more year where she didn't have to worry about fighting in a war that her father couldn't begin to agree with because he wasn't part of her world. One more year where didn't have to twist the arms of a clock and force herself to grow up faster than any of her peers should have to. They all would, they knew it – they all chose to hold on to one more year. There was a comfort in worrying over the petty issue of running into Dirk Cresswell, rather than the bold headlines of missing persons in the Daily Prophet. Being scared of confronting her ex-boyfriend was far easier to deal with then fearing tomorrow.

The old car's engine quieted as her father pulled into a parking space in the crowded lot. It was as though she had been waiting for the forest green old ford to park, a pair of hands yanked on the feet hanging from the window. The brunette forced her head into the window and bared her teeth in a large grin as she pulled at her friend's toes who tiredly yanked her feet away.

"Not all of us live in London, Mary." The blonde girl grumbled and searched for her shoes in the floorboard.

"Morning!" Mary MacDonald nodded toward both Alaric and Finn who had turned in their seats to regard their intruder warmly. While Marlene continued to groan, Mary had yanked open the door of the Ford open and bounced to sit half in the Ford. Her brown curls were pushed back with a headband, exposing her mousy face: her small button nose, her lightly freckled features, and warm brown eyes. Mary MacDonald was for all rhymes and reasons, one of Marlene's two best friends. Mary had a lot of friends, it was hard to believe there was a soul in the world who didn't like Mary – though their previous year at Hogwarts proved that her _unsavory_ Muggle heritage made her a target for Hogwarts bullies and future death eaters.

"I've been looking for Lily all morning." Mary leaned to help Marlene with the process of putting on her shoes by buckling the strap against her right ankle. Marlene let out a small snort and hid her rolling eyes under a pair of sunglasses. It had always been the three of them; Marlene, Mary and Lily. Marlene couldn't think of loving one over the other, but after her spat with Lily Evans over the summer – she hadn't been in a large rush to face her bossy and feral best friend.

"You guys still not talking?" Mary quirked up a perfect brow before hoping out of the car and offering a hand to her tall friend.

"Not _not_ talking." Marlene hopped out of the backseat of the car and slammed it's heavy door shut behind her.

"Remind me again why she's mad at you?" Mary leaned against the car while it rocked against the pressure of her heavy trunk relieving it's weight from the back end.

"James Potter."

"Of course." Mary let her toothy grin fill her face before rolling her own eyes to the simple response Marlene had given, "And what did you say?"

Marlene lifted a foot and reached to readjust a strap from her leather sandals, "She'll get over it."

Mary linked an arm with her taller friend who stood just a hands width above her and beamed brightly toward the bustling King's Cross, "Last year."

"That's what I told her." Finn rounded the back of the car with his sister's trunk in hand while his father slammed the back of the car shut, "She doesn't seem that excited."

"Talked to Dirk?" Mary glanced over her shoulder as her parents rounded in on Alaric Mckinnon to greet and regard him like an old friend.

"Don't bother." Finn snorted, "I've been trying that all summer. She still hasn't told me why she broke the poor bloke's heart."

"I didn't break his heart." Marlene muttered more to herself, trying to hide the shame in her face. _That_ was a topic she didn't want to discuss with her overprotective big brother. It had taken Finn a year to warm up to the idea of Dirk Cresswell. Just as the two had begun to be friends, Marlene had gone and done something _stupid_. If Finn had a problem with her dating Dirk, Marlene could only imagine what he would think of -

"You did." Mary chimed in to interrupt her thoughts, "He was so sad last year on the train ride home."

"Can we not?" Marlene put her hands up defensively, open palms toward Mary who meekly shrugged her shoulders and exchanged some kind of knowing look with Finn. Marlene looked back and forth between the two before rolling her eyes under her sunglasses. A strong hand clapped on her shoulder, pulling her into a hug. She was enveloped in her father's scent, his warm embrace, and smiled into his chest as he pushed a kiss into her hair. Since she was eight she had grown up without a mother, she was raised by a father who treated her like a precious jewel and looked after by a brother who regarded her a fragile glass doll. It was easy to say she was sheltered, that she was spoiled, but most who knew the blonde teenage girl, knew she was as wild and free as the birds she was always watching fly through the sky. She was spoiled with the warmth and love of family, most assumed there would be a day that Marlene would disappear having sprouted a pair of wings of her own. Wild things always take to the sky and fly away.

The wheels of the cart squeaked under the weight of the trunk and Marlene's thin gangly body as she sat cross legged atop her belongings. A couple of notable peers bustled through the crowds, parents hugged their children goodbye and the whistle of the Hogwarts express sounded as warning it was time to board. Marlene felt a pang of nostalgia, looking over her shoulder at Finn pushing her cart. Despite her brother's shadow that had loomed over her the last six years, she would miss the protection she felt of having her older brother around. He was off to do better things, whirling away through long hours of auror training. A proud smile crept onto Marlene's face, admiring the man her brother was becoming day by day.

Marlene allowed herself to be picked off her luggage by her father who swung her around onto her feet as if she were just a child. His large arms wrapped around her affectionately and she inhaled the scent her father had always produced. He smelled of thick cigar smoke, the ocean, and a heavy scent of soap. His cap sat crooked on his head as he pulled her an arm's length away after kissing her hair.

"Your mother would be so proud of you, Len." He smiled fondly looking as though his bright hazel eyes might brim with tears. Alaric Mckinnon didn't understand the Wizarding World fully, he had been a simple fisherman who had fallen in love with an extraordinary woman. The spirit of his deceased wife lived on through his children, and looking at Marlene was like looking at his beloved Isolde who had passed nearly ten years ago. He admired both Finn and Marlene, he treasured them knowing all too well that they were what was left of his wife. Marlene's mouth twisted into a shy smile and she pulled her father back into a tight hug. He tightened his hold on her and placed another kiss on the crown of her head before whispering into her crown, " _I'm_ so proud of you."

* * *

"Have you seen her?" Mary craned her neck in her seat, lifting herself in her seat to search the crowd of old and new faces.

"Not since this summer." Marlene pulled her messy ponytail to tighten it, letting the blonde waves fall over her shoulder. She reached for one of the warmed biscuits in front of her and placed it almost strategically on her plate as she set out in her usual eating traditions. The goal was to build something. It was as though no one had ever taught the girl it was rude to play with your food.

"The whole James-Potter-Fiasco?" Mary slumped into her seat across from Marlene waggling her fingers in the air for dramatics.

"Mmn." Marlene nodded not looking up from her project.

"You really need to work on the whole foot in mouth problem you have, Marls." Mary pointed a fork at the blonde.

"My father taught me to not tell lies." Marlene's blue eyes flickered up, lightened with a playful gleam before she looked back down at her food, breaking the bread in half to create two mounds on her plate.

"I'm not suggesting lie, necessarily." The curly brunette swung her fork in the air, "Just omit the truth."

"We both have been waiting for this moment." Marlene stopped before reaching for a spoon resting among steamed carrots, "Lily Evans is like a little girl on the playground, pushing down the boy she likes and refusing to admit to it."

"I know that." Mary laughed out loud, "But Lily is—"

"Right behind you." Marlene hushed quietly before putting the biggest grin on her face to greet their red headed friend, "Heeeey, Lils."

Mary whipped in her seat and grinned up at the clearly flustered girl who collapsed into a seat beside her, "Where you been?"

"You aren't even going to believe the day that I've had." Lily nearly growled the words as she pushed her perfect locks of red hair over her shoulder and pulled the sleeves of her robes to her elbows. With fork and knife in hand, she rested her balled fists on the long wooden table before looking upward at the Gryffindor banners muttering something to herself. Marlene rested her chin against her hand holding the serving spoon and a subtle smirk began spreading across her features while she took in her friend. The beautiful girl's face was twisted in anguish, she was not her usual composed self, ready to take on anything the world had to throw at her. And yet, from the breast of her black Hogwarts Robes, a winking golden badge announced her news without saying.

"Congratulations." Marlene started pointing at the golden badge, causing Mary to also inspect the radiant badge that Lily Evans had been talking about since becoming a prefect in her fifth year. _Head Girl_ was boldly written on the badge that Lily quickly covered with her hand. She feigned a smile and leaned forward as if to tell a secret.

"Yeah, it would great if—"

"So, I've been thinking." The teenage boy wormed his way beside a first year and Lily, despite their barely being a comfortable space between the two to begin with, "We should start a study group…"

Lily buried her face in her hands as the boy started off to explain his _idea_. His array of black hair laid calmly around his face, similar to that of many of his peers in his age group. It was shaggy, overgrown and he was constantly pushing a hand to his face to move it from the space between his brows and glasses. He finally settled for pushing his spectacles onto of his head, pushing his long fringe from his face. Marlene had noted the trend among the boys the following year, that James Potter's usual dishelved style of hair which he constantly riled was getting too long to run a hand through to capture the perfect just off the broomstick look. It now perfectly framed his handsome features, a light stubble decorating his chin. This is what Marlene and Lily's spat had been over, Marlene had noted Lily's notice in James appearance. It was as if over just a couple months he began to look more like a young man rather than the mischievous boyish imp who pestered her constantly. There was something more mature about him, and yet – the light in his eyes was still enough to make even the young boy who didn't know his reputation to make as much room for the seventh year as he desired. It was funny how people fell in toe to hand out James Potter the respect he expected without hesitation, without considering his maraudering behavior. It was his name, it was his demeanor, it was James – people just liked him.

"Potter, can you just give the ideas a break for five minutes." Lily gave a sarcastic smile over her shoulder at the boy who had come to sit beside her, "My ears are still burning from all ninety seven of them you had on the train."

Well, most people.

"I don't think it was that many." James rolled his eyes upward as if to recant.

"Hogwarts has enough study groups." Lily turned away from him and seemed to have an inner battle with herself, refusing to allow herself to cast so much as a glance in his direction.

"Not for History of Magic." He reached over Lily's arm to grab a warmed biscuit for himself, chewing on it, mouth open, while he spoke, "Class is bloody boring."

"That's Lily's favorite class." Marlene snorted a laugh as she began building a circle of orange carrots around the rim of her plate.

"Yeah…. it's alright." James had struggled with his words, looking quickly to Lily to see if she had taken offense, swallowing his mouthful of bread hard, "I mean not everyone shares my enthusiasm for History-"

"You snored through the entire class last year." Lily continued to stare upward at the Gryffindor banners.

"History's boring." One body slid beside Marlene causing her to retreat only to be corned by a second who landed to her left with a loud squeak against the bench, "No good ever came from dwelling from the past, mate."

"But it's important for the future?" The questioning tone of James' statement caused Marlene to glance toward the boy who looked for help to the boy who now sat across from him to Marlene's right. She could feel his shoulders shrug as he began to loosen the tie around his neck.

"Stop, please." Lily had taken to leaning over her empty plate, rubbing her temples, "You're going to hurt yourself."

Marlene considered James for a moment longer, noticing the matching winking golden badge on the breast pocket of his white shirt emphasizing the gold in his own Gryffindor tie. _Head Boy_. Marlene tucked her chin to look at her lap and told herself if she laughed out loud that Lily Evans would reach across the table and stab her right in the throat. While staring at her lap, Marlene watched the hand emerge boldly to hold the ball of her knee. She decided to take a play from Lily's book and refused to look anywhere to her right. She focused on the large hand and willed it away from her knee, to burst into flames, anything.

"Earth to Mars?"

The hand snapped in front of her face and Marlene raised her chin to look at Lily who was leaning over the table, attempting at small talk with anyone but the boy who sat to her right. She gave a dumbfounded look before sitting back in her seat, "Have you seen Dirk yet?"

"What?" Marlene almost didn't register the words.

"Dirk Cresswell?" Lily raised her eyebrows.

"Light of your life?" Mary joined leaning her head innocently against Lily's shoulder, "The poor guy who's heart you ripped out of his chest and fed to the giant squid in the lake."

"Would you stop with that?" Marlene frowned into her unfinished food construction and reached under the table to quickly shove the hand off her knee, hit with a wall of guilt.

"I still don't understand why you broke up with him." Lily shook her head while wiping her mouth with a napkin, "You guys were such a cute couple."

"Speaking of cute couples." the low voice from her right pipped in with amusement. Marlene dared a glance in his direction to see the fork he pointed with his left hand from James to Lily. His body jolted from a sharp kick under the table, a loud barking laugh erupting from deep in his belly. Marlene tried to inconspicuously gaze on at the boy to her right. He hide a smirk against his knuckles, looking directly across the table at a glaring James. His dark waving hair was pushed behind his ears, the deep unintentional part created a fringe over his thick brows. The brows that raised and fell in amusement over heavy hooded eyes. He must have felt her eyes on him, he broke his stare with James to cast his grey eyes in her direction. His wide lips moved to purse into a smirk before tearing his gaze from her as quickly as he had given it to her. His eyes seemed to dance in a silent conversation with James, leaving Marlene to wonder at his profile. The sharp and haughty features that cut across his face with high angled cheekbones, hollow cheeks, a strong jawline. It was no wonder he had a reputation. He didn't even have to _try_.

"Oh, hooray." Lily feigned excitement, "I get to be the first girl to tell you to _sod off_ this year, Black."

"Congratulations, Evans!" the boy met her equally feigned excitement, grabbing a carrot from Marlene's plate to toss at the redhead, "You're the first girl _ever_ to say that."

Lily let out a loud feral noise and threw the carrot to the floor, glaring at the boy who received another swift kick under the table from James, "Don't you lot have somewhere to be?"

"Nope." Sirius emphasized the word's last syllable, popping his lips loudly.

"We can go." James shrugged, his willingness to leave Lily in peace actually earned him a surprised look from the said red head.

"I just started eating." the lump of a boy to Marlene's left whined through a mouthful of food. She considered Peter Pettigrew through a quick side glance before reaching to her plate to begin her own eating. Marlene had a feeling Lily was going to be quick to force them all out of their seats so she could whine more about the fact that James Potter was wearing a matching badge to her own – a fact that Marlene had still not braved to point out.

The warm feeling returned to her knee, Marlene cast a glance to the hand wearing a single wide silver band over his middle finger. Heaving a sigh of her own, she rolled her eyes upward to the Gryffindor banners. _Great_ , she thought, _now I'm really playing Lily's game_. The rough pads of his fingers moved across the fabric of her trousers. She dared a glance in his direction, watching him pick at his plate with his left hand not so much as even casting a sly glance toward her. His haughty features were pensive, amused – _amused_. Marlene gritted her teeth and pushed Sirius' hand off her knee for the final time before standing.

"I'm feeling claustrophobic."

"Me too." Lily said thankfully, jumping to her feet in follow. Mary looked at the two with a slightly open mouth as she was about to take another bite of her dinner. She sighed annoyed, throwing her napkin onto her plate before getting to her own feet. Lily and Mary struggled to mirror their taller friends gait as she moved down the length of the long feasting table. By the time she had reached the doors, Lily was already exploding about the problematic James Potter and the fact that he had become her peer as Head Boy. She swallowed hard, her hand lingering on the tall wooden door of the Great Hall, opening it for her friends. The inner battle lost to her as she glanced back to where they had been sitting.

James was talking lively, placing a hand over his heart, laughing along with Peter. Sirius had taken his chin to rest on his balled fists, his grey eyes alit in amusement meeting her own. Her lips twisted into a tight line and watched as he lifted his face from his hands, his amusement spreading to his lips. Just as Lily and Mary brushed past her, she caught a subtle wink from the boy before he turned his attention toward his friends. Marlene exhaled heavily, and followed suit behind her two friends.

 _Shit_.

* * *

She had hoped he'd been struck with amnesia.

"Funny." Mary interrupted her thoughts as Marlene had paused in folding her days Hogwarts robes and was staring out the window. A hot fog pressed against the window panes and clouded the outside world under the humidity and condensation. She turned to look at Mary who was hopping into her bed with moon and star pajamas on.

"What is?" Marlene began to unbutton her white blouse raising an eyebrow at the girl. Among friends there was never an ounce of modesty with Marlene Mckinnon. She was often receiving a swift smack to her knicker covered bottom in the morning when she found herself splayed over her bedding. Usually it was from Lily reminding her she only had fifteen minutes to get to breakfast.

"You and Lily." Mary chimed wrestling with her covers.

The blonde cocked her head as she slipped out of her shirt and pulled the large Holyhead Harpies shirt over her skinny body, "I don't follow."

"Lily is going to _flip_." Mary turned to rest her head on her elbow.

"Still in the dark here, Mac." Marlene rolled her eyes and climbed into her own bed.

"I'm just debating which one I should go for if I want to be part of the club: Remus or Peter." Mary's lips turned up into a smirk as Marlene's crystalline blue eyes avoided hers. She knew, Marlene didn't know how much Mary thought she knew or what she actually knew but the point was Mary was smoking her out because she knew _something_. Marlene couldn't bring herself to face the disappointment from her friends the following year when the whole, _episode_ , had happened. It was really her fault, though she'd never admit it aloud. It was her own guilt that caused her to break things off with Dirk. Marlene never thought herself a cheater, and being interlocked in Sirius Black's arms in a dark broom closet, tongues dancing in mouths was enough to make her die of shame, and guilt. _Let's not forget the guilt, you trollop_. Marlene pushed her subconscious out of her head and forced her eyes shut as she leaned against her headboard.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She opened her eyes and straightened her own covers over her lap.

"Mhmn." Her smirk widened.

Lily came out of the bathroom, drying her damp hair with a towel. She had calmed down exponentially since leaving the Great Hall. Her delicate features were scrubbed clean, an array of freckles sprawled over her face, the red and black plaid pajamas vibrating the color of her wet hair. She smiled to both of her friends as she packed away her toiletries into the trunk at the foot of her bed between her that of Mary and Marlene on either side of her.

"I have alchemy in the morning." She started with a bright smile, nothing like school work to brighten Lily Evans' day.

"Potions." The other two chimed in unison, glancing at one another. Mary caught Marlene's eye and gave a wide smile knowing she would be able to pester her blond leggy friend more in the morning. Marlene found herself hardly looking forward to the start of the school year.

"And then—" Lily climbed into her own bed, gathering her covers, "we all have defense, Mary and I have charms while you have care, we'll meet again for history of magic, you two have herbology which I'm still upset we don't have together, we meet for transfiguration after lunch—"

"You're a walking talking day planner, Lils." Marlene said with closed eyes only to receive a quick pelt with a pillow in her face.

"I can't believe it's our last year." Lily whined nostalgically as she caught the pillow Marlene tossed back at her, "It's a bit sad, yeah?"

The three fell into silence, neither one of them looking at one another. Mary bit at her fingernails, Lily picked at the feathers escaping her pillow and Marlene stared upward at the ceiling. Marlene's chest filled with nostalgia and a sharp pang of fear of the unknown. They didn't talk about it much, the war. They all considered it in the back of their minds and willed it away to enjoy their last year of childhood. Of course they weren't children anymore, none of them could deny that but it didn't change the desire for the simplicity of life they led in the halls of Hogwarts. Tucked away in their magical school, they were safe and sheltered from the cruelties and atrocities of Lord Voldemort and his rise of followers.

"I want this to be our best year ever." Lily smiled looking between the two girls. Marlene turned her head to look at the red head who seemed to have forgotten their spat over the summer immediately when the two came to contact. She couldn't disagree, something deep inside her craved something to hold onto knowing darkness was filling their world day by day. Lily curled into her covers first, Marlene and Mary followed her actions. Each of the three girls blowing out their bedside lamps.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing from JK Rowling's Potterverse.  
 **R &R: **The more you rate and review, the quicker I edit the later chapters. Speaking of editing, I catch myself a lot while re-reading so please excuse my typos. I appreciate all the love you babies have been giving

 _Enjoy,_  
 _Dee._

* * *

The sweltering weather didn't falter. Even in the dungeons of the magnificent castle, Marlene had taken her seat beside Mary the back of her neck damp with sweat as she held the weight of her ponytail off her neck and fanned herself helplessly with a scrap piece of parchment she folded twice. Several other students mirrored her own actions, complaining about the blistering heat of the end of summer. The drought, she had noted, caused the usual lush Hogwarts grounds to crackle and threaten to turn a thirsty golden color from the lack of rain.

She was a fickle creature.

She wasn't one for the skirts that clenched most of the waists of teenage girls at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Her loose fitting dark gray slacks hung from her boney hips, held up by a belt and cuffed just above her ankles. She wore flats, flats with large copper buckles on the toes and scuff marks adoring their sides. There was a spark of femininity to her. It shined out from the dragon shaped earrings on her lobes, gawdy rings over her fingers, and winged eyeliner. Her blond waves spilled down her back, and overflowed her shoulders creating a curtain of gold around her heart shaped face all the while half of her lion's mane was pulled back from her face and securely clipped at the back of her head. The button up blouse showed her bare neck and upper chest, but left much to the imagination as it wasn't cut in a lowly fashion. Marlene was highly individual, she slipped through the normal conformity and standards in the ocean of teenage girls, which was just a way to say she was no different than the next. As all teenagers did, she strove for independence and uniqueness hoping one day she would amount to something extraordinary.

She twirled the quill in her fingers, over and over eyes shifting against the pages of the text book in front of her. The students of the classroom buzzed with details of their summer vacations, all with something to say sparking a sense positivity to the New Year, forgetting all their worries and woes back at home. Parents knew that at Hogwarts their children were safe, at Hogwarts they were at least protected. An inky black haired girl took her seat beside the blonde far too involved in her scanning of her textbook, all too familiar of who had slumped into the seat beside her, and listened to the exasperated sigh leave the girl's thin lips.

"You lazy sod! Just stop!", there was a flash of red and gold, the red more distinguished before a stack of books slammed onto the table. Both girls rolled their heads to one another and exchanged a knowing glance before looking towards the redhead who was pointing an accusing finger. Her Head Girl badge twinkled from it's new home on the chest sweater and red waves of hair spilled over her shoulders in anger as she moved round the table to take her seat. Lily Evans was dressed from head to toe with a pristine and polished look. Even the black leather shoes shined brightly from her feet. Her legs were covered in black tights, the traditional knee length pressed skirt clenched her waist, her white blouse's sleeves rolled to her elbows, the Gryffindor sweater vest completing her appearance. Lily Evans was a sight for tidiness, with a clean and crisp image. Her soft red waves fell in a deep part, cascading over her shoulders and dropped herself into her seat. Even in the sweltering heat, she was well put together, despite the sweat accumulating around her hairline. Marlene couldn't help but admire the girl's polished appearance.

Mary leaned closely past Marlene and blew out a long breath in example, "Breath, Lily." Her shoulder length tight curls bounced about her face as she gave a quick solemn nod before sitting back. Mary's appearance mirrored their redheaded companion's in a less then pristine manner. Her mane of curls were pushed back with a red and gold wire headband, her Hogwarts Uniform was neatly pressed and ironed, but she wore a pair of white socks folded below her ankle opposed to the traditional tights, a pair of muggle fashionable converse sneakers on her feet with stars and moons drawn across the toes. Mary was a comfortable medium between her rebellious friend and traditional friend's appearance. It made sense she often acted the mediator between the two, sharing traits with both her friends. Mary MacDonald was the glue that held their friendship of three together.

Lily shot the dark haired girl a wicked look before shaking her head of hair over her shoulder, glaring at the boy behind her. Their presence changed the entire atmosphere of the classroom. A couple whoops and hollers sounded in the class, laughs and jaunty quips directed to the three boys who took their seat, much to Lily's dismay, directly behind them. Marlene shifted in her seat and turned to face the three boys piling into their seats, grins on their faces, eating up the attention from their pleasing crowd of classmates. She regarded the three boys warmly and directed her smile to one in particular. The one in which Lily reacted to like a dog foaming at the mouth. Her clean manicured fingers were digging into the pages of her book, not hiding her incessant elbowing to her friend's side.

All four of the maraudering group of friends seemed to have made a pact not to cut their hair that summer. James Potter's normally wind struck mess of a hairstyle was framing his face, although still in an untidy fashion, his bangs pushed back onto his forehead with his thick framed glasses. He wore a sloppy Gryffindor attire, his tie loosely struggling to hold in the knot he had tied it in, his shirt riddled with wrinkles and creases. James Potter was the very embodiment of what Lily Evans despised. He was loud, cluttered, unruly, untidy, and unsophisticated in his reign as one of Hogwarts highly regarded young men. He was a lot of terrible things, but his horrible qualities seemed to only outweigh in the eyes of Lily Evans. For where he was arrogant he was generous, where he was a prankster he was tactful and methodic, where he was a bully he was standing against pureblood cultured biggots. In the big picture, James was painfully immature and thoughtless but his heart was pure and there was an admirable unfathomable loyalty to him that was utterly rare.

"Have you heard anything about the new Defense Professor?" Lily spun her thick red hair into a rope over her shoulder and looked to either side of her, clearly inviting a fresh conversation into the midst.

"I saw him last night," James head appeared over Marlene's shoulder, between her and Lily, "At the feast." He was leaning over the table, belly to the wood. Marlene turned her head toward the boy and gave a warm smile. Lily side glanced one, twice with narrowing eyes and her lips formed a tight line. Clearing her throat, Marlene stared forward and opened the front of her textbook.

"Nice summer, James?" Marlene didn't turn her head. She could feel Lily's eager questioning glances, or she knew her well enough to know Lily wasn't going to make it obvious that she demanded an explanation. Lily was, best explained, as intense. She was the top of her class and strived for greatness, it didn't come easy. She was dedicated. _In all things, really,_ Marlene mused as she pursed her lips to fight her growing coy smile.

"Good, thanks!" James grinned wildly looking between the girls.

"Your parents ought to be right proud of you." she nodded towards the winking badge, much to Lily's dismay, finally daring to acknowledge his title as Head Boy.

"Dad's proud," James nodded, drumming his fingers over the marred wooden surface, "Mum thinks Dumbledore's barmy."

"Dumbledore is right barmy." Lily popped in, though not joining their conversation directly as she looked to Mary, "I can't believe he would make this inconsiderate, immature, intolerable, big headed git Head Boy –" She hadn't been able to contain herself, she turned in her seat, nearly nose to nose with James, unable to keep her thoughts to herself. Lily had always had a way of putting her foot in her mouth, "—Why would you even want to be Head Boy? Doesn't it go against everything you stand for?"

"Au contraire, Miss Evans." James slid his belly against the table and grinned in his usual lopsided way, "It gives me a chance to help all my mates out of all the trouble we're going to get into. _Last year_ , you know."

There it was. Marlene nearly winced at the words. Everyone was repeating them. _Last year_ , like it was some grand milestone. It was, she understood that. She knew it was, but she knew she wasn't alone in the growing fear in the pit of her stomach. Hogwarts was safe, Hogwarts meant she could still hold onto the last piece of innocence she had left. Once they walked from Hogwarts, they had to make the decision. It was the tale old complexity of fight or flight.

"Oh hell, Potter. If you aren't going to take your responsibilities seriously now then just give it up." Lily's lips tightened into a thin line as she tried to hide her hopefulness as he feigned consideration to her statement. He began to tickle the underside of his chin, littered with an unshaven shadow and pursed his lips.

"Give it up?" he echoed as he raised his eyes to the ceiling as if considering it. Marlene stirred in her thoughts and glanced between Lily and James, her coy smile lifting again at the corners of her mouth. His face contorted, he shrugged his shoulders and shook his head, "No bloody way! It's seventh year, I'm not giving up my last chance to be a reigning dictator over Hogwarts."

Lily let out a feral groan and turned back in her seat. Marlene feigned a cough to cover her laugh, exchanging a look with James before turning back in her seat, passing over the teenage boy to his right for just a moment - _just a moment_ , she told herself, _don't bloody stare_. Sirius Black had begun to lean back in his chair, annoyingly prodding at Remus Lupin on the other side of James, tickling his ear with the end of his quill. His black out grown hair pushed back and out of his face, partially tucked behind one his ears with a stray lock falling over his right eye. He swept it back enough to maintain the neatly windswept style, fingers constantly bristling through his locks of hair. He wore a sinister grin on his face as he continued to have his hand slapped away. He barked out a loud laugh and continued to rock back in his chair reaching his arm around James, ruthlessly swishing the fluffy feathers at his friend. In his own enjoyment he casted a side glance at Marlene, catching her blue eyes in his grey stare. _I thought we weren't going to stare,_ Marlene's conscience sneered in her head. His chair snapped forward onto all fours, his arm resting lazily over James' shoulder while he raised his chin to peer at the girl – a smug expression filling his haughty aristocratic features.

Mary jumped in her seat at the sound of the legs of his chair hitting the ground. She glanced at Marlene who had paused to stare at the boy, much to her nagging conscience's dismay, her eyes drawn over her shoulder to peer at the lingering stare between the two. He head leaned forward on his elbows, cupping his face while watching at the blonde, unfazed by the looks from Mary MacDonald and James Potter.

 _Stop looking at me like that,_ Marlene pressed her lips together to keep the word vomit from leaving her lips.

"Nice summer, Mckinnon?" he drummed his fingers on either side of his face.

"Fine," Marlene arched a brow.

"Heard about you and Cresswell."

"Well," Marlene turned back around in her seat looking toward the front of the class, "aren't you just a fountain of knowledge."

"Don't sweat it, he was a twat."

"Not really," Marlene shifted to tuck her head over her shoulder, "But when I do start dating twats and losers, it's all you, Black."

"Ouch," James snorted a laugh and Remus' airy chuckle could be heard accompanying his amusement. Sirius smacked the gum in his mouth loudly while considering her, he pulled it between his teeth to make a bubble before it popped. The two stared at one another for a moment longer, receiving a questioning look from both James and Remus before Marlene turned in her seat. She inhaled a shot of air into her lungs and shook the lingering animosity off her shoulders. There had been a time when she was friends, or something of the sort, with the Black sheep, but he had ruined that. Or she had, Marlene wasn't sure who was at fault in the downfall of their friendship. She had preferred to press the memories of the sixth year Hufflepuff-Gryffindor quidditch aftermath far from her mind.

"Reason?" Lily quipped not looking up from dating a piece of parchment she was preparing for notes. Marlene didn't answer, catching a steely glance from the pair of emerald green eyes that seemed to open up her soul making her confess to everything. She frowned and shook her head, she refused to fall for the Lily Evans guilt trip of spilling all her dirty secrets. Marlene and Mary were convinced Lily had some unspoken ability to calm you, scare you and force you into telling her things they might have considered a secret. Mary had linked her arm with the tall blonde and leaned her head against her shoulder whispering, "Careful, Mars. She's gonna getcha."

Lily didn't look up from her parchment as she began to write down her initial thoughts on the subject scribbled across the board of the Defense Against the Dark Arts chalkboard. A name was sprawled on the board, one which was new and muttered in whispers and gossip among the class. The letters were slanted, sloppy and barely legible: _Professor Osian Dodderidge._

The shades rattled shut causing the room to fall into an unsettling darkness, steams of light pouring from the cracks of the shades, the light warm breeze whistling between slats, as a door opened and shut. The shuffling sound of a limping figure caused the students to turn their heads to gaze at their new professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts. The light humming of the old projector flickered on and the battered, yet ruggedly handsome, thirty some year old man made his way to the front of the classroom.

"Osian Dodderidge." one girl turned to quip to her friend in a hushed whisper, "My mum says he was fired from the Ministry last year. He worked as an auror but they thought he was too insistent on you-know-who's agenda." The two girls continued to exchange hushed whispers along with the rest of the class while Mary and Marlene exchanged a look, both waggling their eyebrows. Lily caught the reaction between her two friends at their new professor's presence and bit back the smile that crept onto her face.

"Do you two ever think about anything else?" Lily shook her head when the two exchanged looks and both chimed in unison a quick _no_.

"My name is Professor Dodderidge." he started over the humming of the projector, "Don't talk in my class, don't interrupt, late homework is as good as no homework and I do not allow the Daily Prophet in my classroom." He cracked a small smile at his last statement when a couple students erupted in whispers, "And I despise whispering, if you have something to say you might as well ask me."

"Are you married?" Greta Catchlove chimed from her seat surrounded in a sea of black and yellow.

"You may leave Miss Catchlove." He didn't look up from sorting through his papers. Marlene and Mary exchanged glances. The blonde girl didn't get up from her seat and Dodderidge finally raised his eyes to look at the girl as if to ask her what she was waiting for.

As she got up and began to pack her things into her bag, the man erected himself to stand up straight, "If anyone else is going to treat this class as a joke they can join Miss Catchlove. You're going to need to learn defense against the dark arts in order to survive. Whether or not you believe the Daily Prophet's propaganda, one day you are going to come face to face with someone who will have an advantage over you. Because a person who is practicing the dark arts automatically has the upper hand, and it's my job to prepare you all to learn how to fight that without getting hurt, or dead. Your seventh years, don't waste my time and act your ages because there is a storm outside. Next year your parents won't be able to send you to Hogwarts for protection, you lot are going to have to do that yourselves."

The door slammed shut as Greta Catchlove made her exit. Dodderidge cleared his throat and made his way from his desk to the projector. Marlene's lips curled into a satisfied smile at the realization for the first time in her Hogwarts education they were going to have a good professor in the Defense Against the Dark Arts class.

* * *

He laughed lightly, shaking his head. Blonde hair sprawling over his forehead. The yellow and black tie hung loosely from his neck and his brown eyes lit with amusement as Otto Bagman enthusiastically waved his arms in description of something. Dirk's cheeks balled into a wide grin and Marlene shifted her eyes away when he dared a glance toward her. She hadn't given him much of explanation, given the lack of owls she received from him over the summer holiday Marlene assumed he was still bitter. She didn't blame him, he was allowed to be.

"Awkward?" Mary leaned toward Marlene pursing her lips into a smile.

She turned shooting her a wicked stare before folding her arms with a loud agitated grunt. Mary laughed under her breath and glanced along the length of the table, "This is going to be a fun class."

"Right," Marlene snorted glancing again toward Dirk nearly across from her in the adjacent second elongated table of the greenhouse, "Nothing says fun like plants and an ex-boyfriend."

"And Sirius," Mary smirked watching the boy stumble into the greenhouse from the doors at the end of the table.

"What?" Marlene snapped her head toward where Mary was watching Sirius Black and Peter Petiigrew were playfully shoving one another already making a beeline for the Gryffindor stretch of students. The houses mingled, yet always felt comfort in numbers. Even across from Marlene and Mary, there was a shy boy in their year who also wore the colors of red and gold.

"Tell me quick," Mary spun in her seat on the bench.

"No," Marlene glared before dropping her shoulders and crossing her arms, "There's nothing to tell."

"You have a _thing,_ " Mary quickened glancing over her shoulder.

"I do not."

"If you don't have a _thing_ , then why is he—"

Sirius dropped his books beside Marlene.

"—sitting there," Mary finished leaning close to Marlene in a whisper.

The blonde girl blew an exasperated sigh between puffed cheeks and glanced long toward the smugly smirking Mary. The bench shifted under the weight of Sirius and Peter as they took their seats. She refused to look to her left, bringing her arm up to shield her view as she rested her cheek on her hand. She lifted her eyes to the swarm of Hufflepuff's, Dirk met Marlene's eyes and the two quickly shot their eyes from one another. In her avoidance, she caught Greta mouthing across the table to Sirius that she'd saved him a seat.

 _How cute,_ Marlene jolted her blue eyes downward. No, she would not be jealous of Greta Catchlove.

"You know what's funny," Mary quipped as she didn't look up from organizing her things, "You two look a lot alike."

"Have I told you how annoyingly observant you are?" Marlene feigned a sardonic smile.

"I'm going to be a writer for the Prophet one day, I have an eye for detail," Mary defended with a wide grin.

"We don't," the blonde retreated back to the original remark.

"You do," Mary laughed, "I'm going to call her Marlene Two."

"You're not funny."

"I'm hilarious, one day you'll see when I illustrate the funnies."

"Clearly you are going to be a top reporter, Mare," Marlene rolled her eyes. She jolted suddenly feeling Sirius nudge her with his shoulder, she tucked her chin over her shoulder to peer at the boy. He pursed his lips into a smirk and lowered a lid in a sly wink before turning back to Peter. Marlene clenched her jaw to fight back the smile, the horror, whatever it was that rose to flush her cheeks as she turned to glance back to Mary. Her ever watchful eyes alit with amusement as she grinned toward her textbook.

He laid a lazy arm over her shoulders, she hunched under the weight of his arm and the two continued to wave the flags of red and gold at every person who passed them. A gold lion was painted on her cheek, it had become a smear as she leaned against the tall boy beside her, it ran and bled against his Gryffindor quidditch shirt. Despite being Hogwarts' most, colorful, famed commentator, Sirius Black had made no shame in showing his biased opinion in team spirit. He was raising the bar pretty damn high for future commenters. They had tried to take the position from him once – he and his friends banned together in a strike and got half of the school to join. The lion hat flopped on his head as they took long strides left and right, their legs moving in unison while Marlene wrapped an arm around the high of the boy's waist.

 _She waved her hand held Gyrffindor banner at a couple of Hufflepuffs who eyed her suspiciously in consideration of her boyfriend, their quidditch beater, Dirk Cresswell who she had left to gloom over the defeat their house faced. He was, as always, a good sport, although disappointed over the loss of the game and he had suggested to Marlene she go celebrate when she couldn't contain her excitement over the win. They scoffed and whispered under their breath as the two jolly Gryffindors continued on their path towards the Gryffindor Common Room. It was bound to be filled with celebration. Gryffindor's landslide win placed them in the lead for the year's season, and the inter-house rivalry had caused a growing tension in the school._

 _The two jumped the stairs, two at a time all the while their cheery Gryffindor fight song echoing through the enchanted stairs chamber: "Red and gold! Red and gold! This is not the first time you've been told! This is battle, this is war, raise your flag for Gryffindor. Let me hear your lion roar." The two laughed and stumbled up the final bit of stairs. Grabbing the sixteen year old blonde's hand in his and placing his hand on the small of her back, Marlene allowed herself to be swept into a dance of spins and roaring laughter while they stumbled over one another's feet. In a trip, Marlene fell backwards against a door pulling Sirius with her, all in a fit of laughter. His chest shook with laughter as he moved to pull his weight off her in their stumble._

 _Their laughter softened to a chuckle and then to nothing more than a pair of matching smiles. Sirius released her hand, but didn't move his hand from the small of her back. Their eyes locked, stone washing over water: grey and blue. Marlene felt her breath catch, she nearly choked on it. Her heart hammered against her chest with such a force she thought it might burst from her chest. The atmosphere changed, charged with an electric and exhilarating anticipation. Sirius' dark slate eyes shifted down as Marlene pulled a corner of lip under her teeth. She could have walked away at that moment, it would have saved her a hell of a lot of conflicting feelings and changing emotions. She swallowed the hot lump of coal in her throat and her chest shook as it rose to fill the capacity of her lungs. His free hand slid up to hold the cusp of her cheek before he growled in confliction, "Fuck it."_

Marlene cleared her throat as Professor Pomfrey waved a hand for her class of seventh years to continue their reading for their first assignment for the duration of the remaining time. She'd been staring blankly at her textbook, still opened to the first page of the advanced Herbology book, eight pages behind the rest of the class. She folded and unfolded the corner of the page with her slender fingers and clenched her jaw, willing the heavy knots twisting and heating deep in her belly. Her blue eyes danced to the corner of her sight, stealing a glance at Sirius as he shifted to the side her whispering something toward Peter. Her head shifted and she rested her chin over the ball of her shoulder. The pair of silver earrings hung from the high of his ear. The back of his head curled and waved in lush dark silken locks.

As if he could feel her staring at him, he turned to look at her. His amused smirk parted into a wide grin, "You've been avoiding me."

"Yes, but you're finding ways around that," Marlene's eyes flicked down to his seat.

"I'm resourceful," he laughed under his breath, "Are we going to talk about this?"

 _No, no, a hundred times no_ , Marlene gulped, "We don't need to talk about it. We don't have to do the thing."

"Oh?" Sirius lifted his brows in his whisper, "We can do _anything_ you want."

"No, the thing," Marlene hesitated, "Where we talk about it, pretend we care, you know –"

"—the thing," he finished with a smirk.

"Yeah," Marlene's lips curled into a smile, "We can just pretend it never happened."

"What never happened?" he grinned again, "Snogging in a broom closet last year? Because that's a fond memory I'd like to hold onto."

"No," Marlene narrowed her eyes, her cheeks balling into a smile, "There will be no memories. I'm not one of your girls you take into a broom closet. That can't happen again. You get that, right?"

Mary snorted. She was eavesdropping.

"You took advantage of me," Sirius said before Marlene could shoot Mary a glare, "I was vulnerable, in good spirits and you took advantage of me."

"Okay," Marlene smiled pursing her lips, "You took advantage and you are not that good looking."

"Maybe not that day," Sirius bared his teeth in a wide grin, "I was sweaty, it was a rainy spring day, and we just came from the quidditch pitch and you took advantage. But today, today I am very good looking."

"I did not take advantage," Marlene sighed tiredly trying not to let the laugh escape from her throat.

"Want to take advantage again?" too late, Marlene laughed and curled her hand over her mouth shaking her head looking at him as he continued, "After supper tonight?"

"No," Marlene twisted her lips to the corner of her mouth fighting the grin trying to creep to her face, his eyes traveled down her body and she quickly swatted his shoulder, "Stop looking at me like that."

"Like what?" he barked out a loud laugh and rubbed his shoulder.

She clenched her jaw, her own eyes lighting with amusement before shaking her head wildly. She turned back to her book, pulling her bottom lip under her teeth, "I'm so not answering that."

"Like what, Mckinnon?" he grinned wolfishly.

* * *

"Shouldn' be surprised that yeh here."

The sound of his voice raised a genuine smile over Marlene's features. She glanced over her shoulder at the lumbering man, taking large lazy strides toward her. Marlene leaned back, her arms hooked around the fencing of the paddock. Throwing her head back to look directly upward at the Hogwarts gamekeeper who beamed brightly down at her. Marlene grinned widely toward the impressively tall man. Impressive in height almost wasn't enough to describe Rubeus Hagrid. Her brother, her father, they held an impressive height – Hagrid's was enough to make small men out of her tall family.

"It's my first day back," Marlene laughed as she hopped down from perch of fencing, "I had to say hello."

"I knew yeh did." Hagrid laughed deeply and pulled the string of game over his shoulder. Her eyes lit up at the sight of the dead ferrets. He laughed again as her grin nearly broke her face, "Yeh have ter be the only student who wants ter spend all her time with visitin' down here."

"Well, I'm a fickle thing," Marlene smiled warmly as she climbed between the fence slats. The same fence whined and cried out when Hagrid shifted to lean against it before pushing his fingers into his mouth to let out a long and loud whistle.

He was the first to come. He always had been. Marlene's cheeks indented with the flash of dimples at the heavy thud that hit the ground. A gush of wind hit her, blowing her hair behind her as the large creature folded it's wings back to lay on either side of him. Marlene bit at her lips to contain the cheek hurting smile on her face, as the hippogriff screeched loudly. He was a monochrome picture of grey and black wings, an inky back end. The contrasting white tail whipped on either side of him, his hind hooves covered in the same bright white long hairs. The loud clacking of his steal beak snapped in the air and behind him warningly as two more hippogriffs landed behind him. The hippogriff turned a pair of dark slated eyed towards her before taking a few steps forward.

"Hey old friend," Marlene smiled, Hagrid laughed loudly behind her and held a dead ferret over the fence that separated the Hogwarts herd of hippogriffs from the grounds. She took the limp body in her hands and took a step toward the approaching beast. Again he screeched loudly over his shoulder at the two hippogriff's uncomfortable distance. Hothoof was a bully, Marlene learned that her third year at Hogwarts during her first year of Care of Magical Creatures. He bleated loudly and tried to intimidate the frightened students the same way he did dominating the herd of local hippogriffs. Marlene thought Professor Kettleburn had gotten some enjoyment out of the fear the hippogriff seemed to rise in the students. He kicked a strong leg backward to sharply hit a roan colored hippogriff who tried to lunge toward Hagrid and the string of treats he held over his shoulder. The submissive hippogriff backed away quickly to wait her turn.

"Hothoof!" Hagrid bellowed loudly, muting Marlene's amused laugh, "Yeh mangy beast! Play nice, will yeh?"

Hothoof cantered toward her, cooing affectionately, his large birdlike head twisting this way and that. Formalities between the girl and beast had long passed, Marlene raised a hand run her finger just under the soft feathers of his breast and moved her fingers to scratch his swelling chest. He shook with delight and squawked quietly. As quickly as she held up the ferret by it's tail, Hothoof snapped it between his teeth. He threw his head back, chomping at the carcass before sliding it down his gullet.

She affectionately called him hers, finding a kindred spirit in the beast. He was misunderstood and hotheaded. There was a gentleness in him that attracted Marlene. The beast was harsh and cold in his exterior, quick to be the dominating lead of the herd and fight others for his place, but Marlene had come to understand him and his nature. He loved attention and thrived off the affection, Marlene pegged him as charmingly arrogant. Hothoof spun quickly in front of her, his massive size causing another stir of wind.

"Oh no, yeh don'," Hagrid laughed, "Yeh can' be takin' Marlene for a fly e'rytime she comes ter see yeh."

Marlene looked pleadingly over her shoulder and Hagrid pointed a large finger at her, "Don' be givin' me that look. Le's not forget what happen' last year."

Marlene laughed and raised both her hands to wiggle her fingers under the hippogriffs feathers, "Sorry, stud. Looks like we won't be going flying anytime soon." She ran her fingers under his silky feathers, resting on either side of the beasts neck. He ducked his massive head and pushed his forehead to Marlene's. A light purring omitted from his throat loudly, and he quickly snipped at her shirt collar. Marlene had grown accustom to Hothoof's affections. They had made her jump at first, fearing for her limbs, imagining how Professor Kettleburn might have lost his own limbs due to an _affectionate_ hippogriff. Now, she hardly flinched. She trusted the beast and knew she was more likely to get hurt if she jumped or moved when he snapped his beak by her shoulder or bleated his wings to rise up on his hind legs in show.

"Yeh got yerself into serious trouble las' year Marlene." Hagrid said lowly from behind her, having turned his head to make sure no one was watching, "Yeh got me inter trouble."

She winced, looked over her shoulder to catch him waving a hand as if it wasn't important, and sheepishly smiled, "Professor Kettleburn says I have a healthy fascination."

"Aye, and have yeh counted his limbs lately?" Hagris raised his caterpillar like eyebrows and the two shared a light laugh.

"Besides, it was just Professor McGonagall," Marlene frowned remembering the three weeks worth of detention she had received from her head of house. She was worried, she saw it on her face – Marlene didn't hold it against her. Writing a letter to a parent saying 'Sorry your child died while riding a half horse, half bird, winged beast' wasn't really a good way for Hogwars to maintain it's prestigious reputation in the Wizarding World. She blew a long exhale of breath before patting Hothoof lightly. Even the creature couldn't hide his disappointment she made to climb out of the paddock. Hothoof quickly snapped his beak at the back of her shirt and yanked her towards him forcefully, squawking and cooing as she tumbled in front of him.

"You big, nutter." Marlene laughed pushed his front foot away as she moved to get up. He continued to fold his foot and nudge at her, pointing his talons inward as to attempt not to pierce her with his sharp toe nails. Marlene got to her knees and tried to stand up again only to be pushed back down. Hagrid's howling laughter could be heard behind her, and most likely by all of Hogwarts. Marlene rolled over to sit on her backside and put threw her hands up.

"What?" Marlene started before putting her hands on her hips, "Huh? What do you want me to do? They said no, we can't go."

Marlene smiled fondly and folded her hands over her lap, as the hippogriff turned to snap an insect out of the air. He began to graze in a sense, the way that hippogriffs do, all while casting a steely eye toward Marlene to make sure she hadn't moved. Marlene leaned back on her hands and crossed her ankles in front of her before casting a look over her shoulder at Hagrid.

"I got ter be gettin' to some—"

"I promise I'll keep two feet on the ground," she interrupted giving him a solemn nod as he looked torn whether or not to leave the girl. Marlene held up her hand giving a two finger oath and watched as Hagrid waved both hands at her.

"Be sure yeh be gettin' back before dark, don' need that castle lot barkin' at me so early in the year." Marlene laughed as he began to walk away before casting one last glance in her direction and pointed a warning finger at her. She turned back to watch Hothoof as he snapped at the air, sometimes looking back at her with the twisting wings of giant dragonflies in his mouth. The other two who had joined their leader of the herd could be heard further into the stretch of the Forbidden Forest.

She tilted her head to consider the creature fondly. Of all the things at Hogwarts, he was the thing she'd miss the most. She wouldn't miss the inner conflictions, the misery of teenage hormones, nor the loads of homework. The comradery was nice, but Marlene knew those that were her friends would be her friends that would last a lifetime. The things above Hothoof would leave Hogwarts with her, but he would always be here. Bullying the other hippogriffs and asserting his dominance while searching for the kindness in the humans who'd earned his trust. Even her favored Professor, Kettleburn, was fond of the brute. She half wondered if he'd miss her, or if he'd eventually forget her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing from JK Rowling's Potterverse.  
 **R &R: **As always the more you rate and review, the quicker. Though I do have one more chapter to post tonight. Just as a side note, it's always been a head canon of mine that there was a friendship between Hagrid and Marlene. So you can expect a small subplot into that exploration as seen in the last chapter (:

 _Enjoy,_  
 _Dee._

* * *

"I am going to melt." Mary slammed her open palms on the table, the librarian quickly hushed her and she lowered her voice to a whisper, "Literally. When you all ask 'Where's Mary?' just look for the puddle."

"You'll be fine," Lily didn't look up from her writing.

"No I won't," she hissed over the table grabbing Lily's quill, "I'm going to die before I get the chance to get out of Hogwarts."

"So you're going to be the next Moaning Myrtle?" Lily sighed in disbelief and raised a brow at her friend.

" _Meddlesome_ Mary." Marlene quipped from her own.

Mary stilled at leaned forward with a sinister grin, she caught the jab, "Tempestuous Marlene."

Marlene paused and glanced under her lashes at Mary, "Look at you. Big word, Mary."

"Wait, no-" Lily looked at Mary, "it has to fit tradition. You can't go from Moaning Myrtle and Meddlesome Mary and then go to Tempestuous Marlene."

Mary shrugged her shoulders and flicked a wicked glance towards her friend, "Miserable Marlene."

Marlene dropped her hand and raised her head to look Mary. She snorted on a laugh and placed a hand over her mouth to hide her growing grin. Lily glanced towards Marlene quickly, "Since she is going from tempestuous to misery, I'm assuming your regretting your decision about Dirk?"

"No," Marlene rolled her eyes and picked her hand back up to start writing again, "Mary's off her trolly."

"Well that's good," Mary tightened her lips into a line before looking back down to her own homework a sly smile over her soft features as she glanced toward the familiar quartet of Gryffindor boys.

Marlene shrugged her shoulders lightly, not looking up from her homework despite the looks she could feel from both Mary and Lily. Lily had jumped aboard the Dirk Cresswell express and was quick to assume Marlene had made a mistake. She didn't know. Mary, was quickly piecing together stolen glances and overheard conversations enough to know that she had a 'thing', as Mary had so eloquently put. _It doesn't matter_ , her conscience quipped from her shoulder, _you wouldn't give Dirk a chance in hell anyways._ Marlene cleared her throat, hoping to wordlessly suggest her friends to resume their homework as she had been attempting to do. The scratching of quills on parchment began quickly on que and a wave of relief fell over Marlene. They weren't going to push it. They were too different anyways, she and Dirk, even he had to realize that they were doomed from the start.

 _You can't cage a bird_ , Marlene told her conscience who layered a monologue of guilt over her.

A chair screeched to her left. Marlene hesitated before glancing in the direction of the owner of the body taking up the seat. His plump cheeks were flushed and he looked clearly uncomfortable. She tried to smile awkwardly at her old childhood friend. Mrs. Pettigrew had been a close friend of her mother's and so Marlene had seen a lot of Peter when she was a child. But when her mother died, the Pettigrews stopped coming. Even the Rowles stopped coming, and they were Marlene's first cousins. No one wanted to visit the widowed muggle who's magical wife died or the children she left behind. Marlene's Aunt Isolde visited, but the rest of her family had vanished. Her childhood friend vanished. Peter made attempts to talk to Marlene during their first year only to be quickly shut out. She fingered the hippogriff pendent around her neck. There was a reason she liked hippogriffs so much – she rarely forgot when she was disrespected or done wrong. Somewhere between their first year and their third year, Marlene had warmed enough to Peter to speak to him casually. His incessant dependency on Sirius Black and James Potter, however, was unflattering.

"How've you been?" Peter started awkwardly, running a hand through his hair at first in James Potter fashion to mess it up and again like Sirius Black to sweep it out of his face. He too had fallen the group of boys' in growing out his hair. It was a look that was flattering to James, Sirius and Remus, but not so much to Peter.

Marlene debated mouthing the words out loud in a sort of confusion as to what he was even doing there before answering slowly, "Fine. And you? How's your mum?"

"Good and good." Peter said quickly before digging in the pocket of his robe, looking past Marlene and shaking his head quickly. She was about to move to turn her head when Peter spoke again, "Finn's an auror now, right?"

"Yes," Marlene stated slowly her head still half turned to look in the direction he was looking in.

"This is awkward," he blurted out.

"No kidding." Lily raised her eyebrows, she was watching the lump of a boy, as he was so often described, curiously as he dropped his shoulders with a big sigh.

"Here," he shoved a folded piece of parchment toward Marlene's hands, causing her to draw a line over the edge of her parchment. Marlene raised an eyebrow suspiciously and looked at the square, to Peter, and back. She had begun to unfold the parchment and stopped as Peter leaned to look inside. Suspecting he hadn't wrote it, Marlene looked at him, her eyebrow not lowering from her forehead.

"I'm supposed to wait for you to say yes." Peter explained before leaning back to give Marlene space. Lily and Mary exchanged glances.

"Uh-huh," Marlene shook her head lightly and continued to unfold the square. Both girls on other side of the table inched forward as Peter had done to try to catch a glimpse of what they quickly deduced as a note. Marlene pulled it into her lap and glanced toward the two, mostly at Mary who was turning her head to look in the direction Peter kept glancing toward. Marlene turned her head over her shoulder to look behind her. Sirius quickly shifted his eyes from Peter to Marlene, rolling his quill between his palms to make the feather spin round and round towards the table. He watched her for a moment under his heavy hooded gaze before looking back to James who was grinning wildly, looking between the two while he whispered something vicariously towards him. She slowed her eyes from Sirius back to the note in her hands.

 _M.  
You look nice today.  
Hogsmeade?  
S._

Marlene stared at the four worded note, her lip curling and eyebrows hiked up on her forehead in disbelief. She folded it and looked over her shoulder once again catching James laughing loudly, the two were reaching across the table at one another. Marlene caught James loud whisper: _I don't care how smooth you are mate, Mckinnon would never_. She couldn't hide the thoroughly confused look on her face when she moved to turn back around. She stopped, mid-turn, doe in the headlights under the equally confused Lily Evans and beaming Mary MacDonald. Marlene quickly shifted her eyes and crumbled the note in her hand, clearing her throat.

"I can't leave unless you say yes." Peter reiterated his mission.

"Well you're going to have to go back empty handed." Marlene left the ball crumbled in her hand and stared down at her assignment willing herself to write something, anything, but – _what the bloody hell was that?_ She looked over her shoulder again and caught Sirius laughing, rubbing his own head when James quickly received an equally hard thump from the librarian. His wild grin still filled his face when he glanced toward her. He lifted his chin, dimple indenting unshaven face.

"I can't," Peter shifted uncomfortably.

"Why not?" Marlene turned to look at him annoyed, "Is the world going to end if you don't do what they say?"

"I just can't," he twisted his face uncomfortably before glancing back toward Sirius and James, waving a hand as if to say he was working on it.

"How am I supposed to respond to that?" Marlene dropped her hand holding her quill, her annoyance was rising.

"I don't know," he shrugged his shoulders loosely, " _Yes, Sirius, I'd love to go to Hogsmeade with you?_ "

Mary snorted.

Lily was nothing but a face of big eyes and a wide open mouth in disbelief.

"No," Marlene snapped and looked back down at her unfinished essay, still holding the note in her hand.

"Don't make me, Marlene." Peter looked upward and groaned loudly. Marlene casted him a side glance before shaking her sleeve down her arm, completely avoided Mary and Lily's looks, and put her quill to the paper. Peter heaved a giant sigh. It started as a hum. Marlene lifted her head wide eyed when it got louder. He began mumbling the words and her head snapped toward him.

"What," Marlene started, speaking over Peter's song, her eyes widening, "the bloody hell are you doing?"

" _Red and gold! Red and gold!_ He said it would get your attention. _This is not the first time you've been told! This is battle, this is war, raise your flag for Gryffindor._ And not to stop singing unless you said yes. _Let me hear your lion roar,"_ Peter sang the song out of tune, his voice squeaking and cracking under his whispering song. Marlene jolted to turn to look back at Sirius. His grin looked as though it might split his face in half, he waggled his brows in amusement. James was face down in his open book. His shoulders shook with laughter as he folded his hands over the top of his head.

"No," Marlene hissed loudly interrupting Peter's singing.

"Marlene—"

"No, Peter. You don't have to do whatever they say. Just go back over there and tell him I said no," Marlene placed her hands upward as if the solution was simple.

"He's doing me a favor," Peter defended.

"Right, what a good mate you got there," Lily scoffed in disbelief and kicked Marlene forcefully under the table. The blonde winced and glared toward the redhead as she forcefully cocked her head in demand of an explanation.

"If I get you to say yes, then..." Peter trailed off and shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, I'm not going to say yes. So continue singing. You'll only embarrass yourself," Marlene didn't know if it was her pride or the shame under Lily's leering glare that was making her say no so quickly. Since they had returned to Hogwarts, Marlene couldn't deny that Sirius Black had constantly caught her eye. How could he not after what had unfolded the previous year? She tried glimpsing, fleeting glances, but he always caught her staring. She caught _him_ staring.

Peter opened his mouth to say something but quickly shut it. Marlene raised her eyebrows as he quickly scurried from his seat. Her head turned as he quickened his walk past her to return to where he was beckoned to. Pausing to watch him as he sat at the table, Sirius wrapped an arm around his shoulder to bring him closer. His grey eyes flickered to meet Marlene's before pulling back and grinning wildly at his friend. James was still nose centered in his book, shaking his head when he finally perked up and pushed his glasses to the top of his head before throwing his hands up to sit back in his chair, shoulders shaking with a silent laughter.

"What in the hell," Lily hissed over the table, leering at Marlene, "was that all about?"

"I don't know," Marlene ignored Mary's laugh guised with a cough, "Guess he has a crush on me or something."

"Suddenly tempestuous and miserable make sense." Lily shifted in her chair looking accusingly toward Mary, "Did you know about this?"

Mary lifted her hands on either side of her before dropping them to fold in front of her, "I had an inclination."

Marlene narrowed her eyes at Mary who shrugged while stifling her own laughter and amusement. Lily cocked her head again, and pounded her fists on the table, "We're best friends, you're supposed to tell me everything."

"I do tell you everything," Marlene picked up her quill again to _try_ to focus on her homework, still clutching the note in her hand.

"What'd it say?" she lifted her chin toward the note.

"Nothing."

"Then throw it away," Mary bared a daring toothy grin.

"Right now?" Marlene arched a brow.

"Yes." Lily quickly snapped in a harsh whisper, "If you don't care."

"I thought you wanted to see it?" Marlene turned it over in her hand.

"Let me see it, _then_ throw it away," Lily and Mary exchanged nods of agreement. They both immediately gaped upward, Mary covering the fighting smile on her face with her hand, when a shadow fell over their table. The chair to her left screeched again it creaked under the spread legs of Sirius Black as he leaned forward, folding his arms over it's back and rested his chin over his arms. He bit his lips together and popped them loudly. Marlene slowly turned to face him and narrowed her eyes when his lips turned up into a smile.

"Hogsmeade?" Sirius moved his chin over his wrist bone, opening his mouth and moving his jaw side to side before chomping shut quickly. His one word invitation sent a flutter through her stomach she refused to admit to.

"She's not interested," Lily quickly interrupted, unable to contain herself, "she said no."

Sirius shot a hand out, palm facing Lily and let out a loud hushing noise, "Quiet elf. It is not your turn to speak." Lily opened her mouth widely to protest only to have a hand clasped over it by Mary. The kinky haired brunette leaned forward in her seat, curious to see how the scene in front of her would fold out. She dropped her hand when Lily clawed it off and glared toward the brunette.

"So?"

"So what?" Marlene gave up on her homework completely, dropping her quill with her free hand and turning the note over and over in her other. It was a conversation she did not want to have in front of Lily. Willing him to forget clearly hadn't been working. Now he was taking a bolder approach.

"So, what do you say?" he dropped a hand in front of the chair he straddled and twisted a lock of her blonde hair before dropping his arm to hang idly.

"No." Marlene looked at him for a long moment, shifting her hair to her other shoulder, before starting to pack her things. Lily and Mary quickly took note and began packing their things, not taking their eyes off the pair. Lily couldn't hide the thoroughly pleased look on her face when Marlene declined.

"Why not?" the chair creaked as he gripped the back of the chair and leaned backward.

"You have a girlfriend," she quickly imagined Greta drowning her in the Black Lake.

"I don't."

"I have a boyfriend."

"You _had_ a boyfriend," he corrected.

"I don't like you," Marlene said flatly while she turned in her chair after placing the last book in her bag. _Liar_ , her conscience sneered.

"Huh," Sirius leaned forward again, resting his palms on his knees on either side of his straddled position, "Guess I got the signals mixed."

"Guess you did," Marlene quipped and swallowed the rising lump in her throat.

"I'm trying to figure out when, though," he pursed his lips, tilting into a smirk.

"Don't know what gave you the idea," Marlene got to her feet. All she had to do was make it out of the library, some insane notion suggested she might be able to avoid him for the rest of the year.

He quickly met her stand, standing with splayed legs on either side of the chair, "Probably last year."

Marlene zipped her bag forcefully and glared down warningly at Sirius, he continued anyway, "You snogged the daylights out of me. I was seein' stars for days, love."

Lily literally choked.

"But hey," Sirius put his hands up before lifting himself to his full height. He feigned defense with open palms towards her and took a few steps back, "it was probably just good ol' team Gryffindor spirit."

Sirius kept his hands in front of him as he backed away from Marlene. She thought her eyes might fall out of her head. She blinked several times before snatching her bag from the table. Lily was saying something in her ear, Marlene brushed past the two girls and slammed her book in front of Madam Pince in her leave from the library. The brunette and redhead struggled to quicken their gait to an appropriate walk to keep up with their long legged friend.

* * *

"Is that where you were last night?" Lily couldn't drop it. She tapped her lips lightly with her spoon, peering over the table at her friend.

Marlene noticeably ignored the redhead and continued pushing the pears around in the middle of her place with her fork, stabbing at the lump of meat while she imagined it was Sirius Black. She licked it's back side before clearing her throat and side glanced the redhead who was leaning across the table. Maybe she should have named her conscience Lily.

"Why would you say no?" Mary leaned her cheek against her hand as she bit the top of asparagus stick, recalling the library's proposition.

"Why wouldn't she say no?" Lily looked appalled at Mary, "Let's recant on all the reasons why Sirius Black is a horrible human being."

"One," she raised a finger to start counting on her hand, "Every girl who has ever showed any interest in him is usually seduced into a broom closet, abandoned classroom, or wherever he takes them, and doesn't have enough time to pull their knickers up before he's out the door."

Marlene glanced at her.

"Two," Lily raised another finger, "Said girls usually fall into self-loathing and deep hatred of men only to become miserable crazy cat ladies. I wouldn't push that one Marlene, you're already a little too friendly with Napoleon."

Marlene dropped her hand and opened her mouth to protest.

"Three!" Lily squeaked as she rose another finger, "I'm not saying Sirius Black is killing muggleborns evil, but the boy is fifty shades darker then the color Black. He's a bull in a china shop and destroys everything he touches."

"Oi!" a body fell beside Lily, "That's my mate, Evans. You're cute, but you're not that cute."

"Did you know about this?" Lily spun in her seat to face James.

"Not really," James shrugged shooting Marlene an amused look, he did know, "I think Paddy has just run out of girls who don't want to smack him in the face." The look on his face said otherwise, Marlene glanced to James and he grinned wickedly over his cup before taking a drink. Her cheeks burned hot only imagining what Sirius had told his best friend.

"Four!" Lily spun back towards Marlene, "He probably has gout of the downstairs."

"Gross, I'm eating." Marlene protested, a disgusted look filling her face.

"Yeahhh, I'm with Mckinnon." James started slowly inching away from Lily, "And for the record, I don't think that's a thing, Evans. The fact your mind went there is a little creepy."

"I want her to fully realize all the reasons why your _mate_ is a terrible potential boyfriend," Lily shifted in her seat and ducked her chin as if to say 'there' to Marlene as she choked and sputtered.

James snorted, " _Boyfriend_."

"Besides," Lily glanced at James, "Let's face it, Sirius Black doesn't date and he doesn't have girlfriends. There are only three people that boy cares about and their names are Peter, Remus and James." She hiked a thumb up pointing in James' direction.

He nodded, "It's true. Mate's kind of a sociopath. He's oddly attached to me. Might be in love."

"Okay, one-, " she raised a finger to mock Lily, the redhead quickly scrunched her nose and curled a lip at the mockery, "I was with Hagrid yesterday. Because the only male I'm even remotely interested in has four legs, squawks and likes it when I ruffle his feathers."

"How about if I get on all fours and bark like a dog?" Sirius plopped beside her. Marlene shifted as he leaned forward and snarled a little too well. James snorted after taking a sip of pumpkin juice and immediately covered his nose, the orange liquid pouring from his hands. Lily gave him a somewhat fleeting look of empathy and handed him a napkin.

"That would be the one dog I wouldn't invite to my bed." Marlene quickly swatted his hand away when it reached for her leg.

"He has a pretty sweet disposition as a dog," James covered his mouth laughing into the napkin. The two boys exchanged grins and James pointed a finger at Marlene after cleaning his face, "He might grow on you."

"Look," Marlene turned to face Sirius who immediately straightened his face, their friends all leaned forward one by one to catch what was said, "I'm sorry-"

"-I'm not."

"Last year didn't mean anything," Marlene slowed, swallowing the hot lump in her throat, "I was having a moment."

"It was a memorable moment."

"It could have been anyone."

"I'm bloody hell glad it was me."

"But it happened, it's done, I 'took advantage', as you say, and that's it. Okay?" Marlene cocked her head to try to get an agreement from Sirius. She could feel the eyes of their friends on them, watching the pair as intently as they would at a cinema.

He rested his chin over his hand and pursed his lips, considering her for a moment before shaking his head, "No."

"No?" Marlene raised her hands, dropping them tiredly.

Sirius mouthed the word _no_ again before lifting his chin from his hand amused, "I've been wanking to the image of you shoving me into a broom closet all summer, and the memory just isn't doing it anymore. So no."

"Marlene!" Lily exclaimed gaped at her in shock.

Mary laughed and covered her mouth to stifle her loud laughter.

"Oh, c'mon, mate." James had laughed into his cup of pumpkin juice, this time before he took a drink, though still making another mess.

Marlene stared at him for a long moment and he slowly raised a hand to make a back and forth jerking motion. She wasn't shy to ways of men. Her brother had been a Sirius Black, and her father often caught himself following with a swear when he got caught up in an act of testosterone around his daughter. Still, Marlene felt the rising heat in her cheeks. The pinkish color spread over her face and she quickly turned from vulgarity. It was as though once it started it couldn't be stopped, the testosterone began to flow and the levies broke.

"I'm just waiting for the day when you call out Marlene's name while you're shagging Greta." James laughed and raised himself enough to grip the table shaking it lightly. Lily immediately was overfilled with disgust and inched closer towards Mary while he dropped into his seat with a fit of laughter. Both of the boys amused in their obscene and obnoxious behavior.

"That happened last year," Sirius pointed a fork toward James laughing, "I think I called her Bertha. Tightened up like a fist, mate." He slammed his closed fist on the table and loud barking laugh following it.

"Oh god," Lily stood up abruptly, "I think I'm going to be sick."

A sudden realization filled James' face and he threw a piece of bread at Sirius, shooting him a look of anxiety before looking up at Lily, "C'mon, Evans, finish your dinner. I'm sorry, _we're sorry_ —"

"I'm not," Sirius laughed and wiped his face where the bread had hit him.

"We'll stop. Sometimes we just get caught up—"

"Why are you saying _we_ mate?" Sirius looked at him amused, without a single care as to who he unsettled at the table.

James gave her a pleading and apologetic look and Lily who put a hand up, "I appreciate the gesture, Potter. Honestly, I really do. But I don't think I can take any more of all this. Marlene? _Coming?_ "

Marlene paused mid spoonful into her mouth, her stomach growled and grumbled. If she refused to follow, Marlene was afraid Lily would jump to the wrong conclusion. She begrudgingly dropped her spoon despite her hunger and sighed. Getting to her feet, the teenage girl pulled on the belt loops of her pants before dropping her hands to her side, "Alright, mother, alright." Lily shot her a warning look which may have served it's purpose if Sirius hadn't given a playful tug to her pant leg out of view of Lily's prying eyes. He cast a pair of playful grey eyes upward and Marlene swiftly smacked the back of his head.

* * *

Lily was going to murder her if she didn't get back to the common room with her list of required books for their homework. _No,_ Marlene thought, _Lily is going to murder me if I don't get back to the common room before nine._ She knew Lily was timing her, she was watching the clock and if Marlene took a minute longer than what the redhead deemed necessary she would start assuming. She didn't have the patience to listen to Lily Evans' incessant overprotective and longwinded speech on why Sirius Black was rotten. Marlene slipped into the library waving a polite hello to the librarian, pulling the list of books from her pocket.

Marlene quickened her step toward the stacks, repeating the list of books on the piece of parchment Lily had scrawled over it's surface. Lily had been on her way when Marlene insisted she'd go, she needed a break after the actions of the course of the day. She had been _allowed_ to leave their trio's study session to retrieve the books with a quick reminder to be back by nine. As she continued muttering the names of the books as she rounded the first aisle. James Potter sat with his legs spread, back facing her as he flipped through the pages of several books. Marlene eyed him and nearly tip toed to where she knew the first book on her list to be. He muttered under his breath while he read, she plucked the book from the shelf and made haste to escape unseen before James turned to see who was shuffling behind him.

She was avoiding, she was avoiding everyone. Especially Lily. Lily who didn't help lessen the guilt she already felt or help to untwist the knots and ties in her stomach whenever she felt Sirius Black. She clenched so tightly when he entered the room while Lily was sitting next to her, it just made everything worse. She didn't blame her. Lily was moral perfection, she was the kindest person Marlene had ever met – but she was the archetype that came into life a hundred times better and was selfless enough to sacrifice everything for the happiness of her loves ones. There was a degree of judgement that came with that territory, whether Lily knew she did it or not.

Marlene struggled to hold the pile of books while repeating the last title of the book she needed. She was, as noted, completely limited for time. Of course the only person she was avoiding more than Lily was Sirius. She halted at the opening of the aisle and stared at Sirius in a slight horror at her luck. He was hunched over, searching the rows of books. He was like a drink of hot tea on a horribly hot day, she felt herself begin to sweat immediately. Her veins heated under her skin and her cheeks began to flush. She should have been furious after what inconveniences he's caused, what he pulled in the earlier hours of the day. He had made her like exponentially more difficult. Why couldn't he have just kept a secret?

Marlene swallowed hard and something drew his attention despite her silence to turn and look at her. His lips curled into a wicked smirk and he nodded in acknowledgment before turning his attention to his search. His eyes scoured the words over the books spine and glanced in her direction. His hooded eyes sought a second glance as he shifted to tuck a book under his shoulder. Marlene cleared her throat and swallowed the lump in her throat. _Double shit_ , Marlene bit her bottom lip and rolled her eyes up toward the tops of the stacks.

"Libraries should be our thing, Mckinnon," Sirius broke the silence and glanced again to her, eying her up and down. A cheshire grin flashed over his handsome features before turning his back to her. Marlene hugged her armful of books and cleared her throat loudly as she stepped beside him to peer at the row of books. She debated turning and returning later, but Binns had already assigned her first monstrosity of the year and Quidditch season hadn't even started yet. Lily was expecting the books she had in her arms for their study session that evening. Her blue eyes soaked in his profile, his pursed lips and light ticking of the tongue as he moved slightly toward her while he scavenged the titles of the books. He side glanced her, his lips pulled into a smirk of amusement as he turned his head.

Marlene paused, her eyes lingering on the back of his shaggy head of dark waves. He continued ticking his tongue muttering under his breath. He paused, and again side glanced her with the same wide smirk. She could hardly stop the words from coming out of her mouth, "I'm not going out with you. So don't-"

"Did I ask you to go out with me?" Sirius turned his head over his shoulder to glance at her amused, he laughed and turned his head back away from her. His finger paused on a book and he cocked his head lightly, "Do you want to go out with me?"

"I'm not dating you," Marlene argued as she hugged her books to her and turned to examine the row of books, "And I'm definitely not snogging you again, it was wrong."

"Right. Wrong," Sirius flashed a grin over his shoulder, "I didn't know you were so moral, Mckinnon."

"There's a lot of things you don't know about me."

"I can only imagine," he waggled his brows before turning toward the rows of books once again.

"You're sexually harassing me," Marlene argued quickly, turning to lean her shoulder against the stacks to face him. He didn't stop in his search, but his growing amusement was visible from his provided profile.

"I'm in the library," Sirius barked out a laugh, not bothering to look at her, as he trailed a long finger over the spines of several books stopping to pull one from its slot, "checking out books for my homework. Just like you."

"Look I'm drawing a line," Marlene sighed, her voice wavering, even she didn't believe it, "The line is drawn, there is a big line."

"So this line?" Sirius paused as he tucked the book under his arm and slowed in his turn toward her. He hovered over her, a smirk widening over his features while watching her down the bridge of his nose, "Is it imaginary or do I need to get you a paintbrush?"

Sirius leaned his shoulder against the shelves of books, mirroring her position. She held her books tighter, his eyes lingering on her lips. For some inexplicable reason, no doubt from the proximity between the two, the atmosphere erupted between the two. It changed, charged with an electric and exhilarating anticipation. She recognized the feeling, she'd felt it once before. Marlene clamped her teeth over her bottom lip ti hide her altering breath and shut out her heartbeat pounding in her ears. His eyes, a darkening slate gray lower, and his lips twitch in their smirk.

Her books landed on the floor with a loud thud and Marlene lunged at him. He expected it, as though he were waiting for her to snap. Like a beast stalking an animal in the high grass, waiting for his succulent meal to leap. And as soon as Marlene leapt, his hands jumped to her waist forcing her into him. The atmosphere charged with electricity, desire warming and thickening in the deepest part of her belly. The books rumbled against the shelves as his body hit it. Marlene pressed her lips into his before she could register what she was even doing. Her hands found his shoulders for balance, lifting herself on her toes before wrapping her arms around his neck. Sirius stumbled forward, his mouth crashing into hers, nudging her lips open with his. She moaned into his mouth and he took full advantage. Marlene stumbled backwards as he pushed her for control, slamming her body against the opposite stack, his hips pinning her to the shelves of dusty books. His lips were demanding and molded against Marlene's. A low growl emits from his throat and his hands found their way to rest firmly on either side of her waist.

"I knew it!" a loud laugh exclaimed

Marlene turned her head frantically toward the owner of the voice and nearly cringed at the sight of James Potter. The teenage boy was wide eyed, holding an armful of books of his own. _Shit_ , Marlene shoved Sirius away from her quickly, how could she forget James had been lingering just rows away? She'd waved hello as she passed him. Sirius raised his arms to fence her in, his hands hanging off the lips of the shelves. He was staring down at her, she could feel his piercing amused slate stare. He panted lightly, his hair hanging around his face as he turned to peer darkly over his bicep at his friend who was grinning from ear to ear.

No one said anything.

Marlene ducked under one of Sirius' enclosing arms. She felt both boys watching her. The later pushed himself from the stacks and jerked his head back to move his hair from his face. Marlene quickly stooped to gather the books she'd dropped in her lunge toward Sirius. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment while she got to her feet and shuffled past James.

"We'll talk later, Mckinnon?" Sirius called after her over James' roaring laughter.


End file.
